MLB Player News

Court signed a minor-league contract with the Athletics on Tuesday, Alex Coffey of The Athletic reports.

As a member of the Mariners organization last season, Court reached the majors for the first time at 31 years old. He didn't stick around in Seattle for long, logging just 25 plate appearances before he was outrighted off the 40-man roster less than two months after his debut. Court is capable of playing every infield spot in addition to left field, so he'll likely serve as a utility bat for Triple-A Las Vegas as he heads to a new AL West organization.

Joseph joined the Red Sox as a non-roster invitee Friday.

The 28-year-old owns a lopsided .247/.297/.460 slash line in 249 career big-league games, not quite good enough for a player who can only play first base. All of those games came in 2016 and 2017, as he spent 2018 in the minors and headed to Korea for 2019. In 55 games there for the LG Twins, he hit a respectable but hardly dominant .274/.332/.426.

Vaughn was invited to the White Sox's big-league camp, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Vaughn finished his first season with High-A Winston-Salem with a .252/.349/.411 slash line to go along with three home runs and 21 RBI. The White Sox first-round pick (third overall) in the 2019 draft has shown great plate discipline in addition to having a powerful bat, as the first baseman recorded a 30:35 BB:K in 229 plate appearances for Low-A Kannapolis and High-A Winston-Salem. The highly rated prospect likely needs some more minor-league experience before he's ready to push for a big-league roster spot.

Dalbec is entering spring training with the goal of making Boston's Opening Day roster, Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

At first inspection, it looks like Dalbec could use more seasoning at Triple-A Pawtucket, but the Red Sox have an open slot at first base. He entered the organization as a third baseman but split time at both corner infield positions in 2019. Michael Chavis (oblique) is the current frontrunner, while the team could add an established first baseman. The 6-foot-4, 234-pound Dalbec, who was added to the 40-man roster during the offseason, slashed .239/.356/.460 with 27 home runs, 19 doubles, two triples and 73 RBI combined in 105 games at Double-A Portland and 30 games at Pawtucket. Seven of those 27 homers came in 123 plate appearances for the PawSox.

Dixon cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday.

Dixon will remain as organizational depth for the Tigers heading into his age-28 season. His .248/.290/.435 slash line in 118 games last season was acceptable for a bench player who spent time at six different positions but clearly wasn't good enough for any team to view him as a desirable addition.

Dixon was designated for assignment by the Tigers on Saturday.

The Tigers acquired C.J. Cron (thumb) and Jonathan Schoop on Saturday, and Dixon was removed from the 40-man roster in order to make room for the infielders. Dixon led the Tigers with 15 home runs in 2019, but he saw limited playing time despite his defensive versatility. It wouldn't be surprising if the 27-year-old was able to find another major-league opportunity elsewhere, but it's unclear whether he would be able to cement himself as an everyday player despite his ability to move around defensively.

Cron (thumb) signed a one-year, $6.1 million contract with the Tigers on Saturday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Cron saw limited playing time over the second half of the season, and the combination of his decrease in usage and thumb surgery in October resulted in him being non-tendered by the Twins. The 29-year-old will likely be ready for spring training, and he could take over the starting job at first base after Jeimer Candelario struggled to break out in 2019.

Manager Aaron Boone said Wednesday that he anticipates Voit (abdomen) opening the upcoming season as the Yankees' everyday first baseman, Pete Caldera of The Bergen Record reports. "I'm confident that Luke Voit is an impact player for us," Boone said.

A core-muscle injury limited Voit's effectiveness over the final month of the regular season and ultimately made surgery necessary once the Yankees were eliminated from the playoffs, but the 28-year-old should be back to full strength for spring training. Despite the disappointing finish to his 2019 campaign, Voit was still a well above-average performer at the dish, contributing a .263/.378/.464 slash line (126 wRC+) over his 510 plate appearances.

Manager Mike Matheny said Tuesday that O'Hearn will be under consideration for the Royals' everyday job at first base this spring, Lynn Worthy of The Kansas City Star reports.

Along with O'Hearn, the Royals are also expected to give Ryan McBroom the chance to battle for the job, while Hunter Dozier and Salvador Perez (elbow) could also see work at the position when they aren't playing third base or catcher, respectively. After a hot start to his big-league career upon being promoted from Triple-A Omaha in the second half of 2018, O'Hearn struggled mightily last season, slashing just .195/.281/.369 with 14 home runs in 370 plate appearances. O'Hearn will at least have the platoon advantage working in his favor in the competition, as McBroom, Dozier and Perez all hit from the right side of the plate.

Abreu and the White Sox agreed to a three-year, $50 million contract Friday.

The veteran first baseman had previously accepted the team's one-year, $17.8 million qualifying offer, but the two sides agreed to tear that deal up and find a number that worked for both sides over a longer period. Abreu will make only slightly less than his original deal on an annual basis (though $4 million of the contract is deferred) but will remain in Chicago through the 2022 campaign. The White Sox will get a decent yearly value for a team leader who hit .284 with 33 homers last season, though some regression should be expected over the course of the contract, which covers Abreu's age-33 through age-35 seasons.